The invention generally relates to an arrangement to guide and support a fuel conduit within a turbine engine. More particularly, this invention relates to a structural support for spraybars within a trailing edge box.
Turbine engines may have afterburners, or augmenters, located at the rear of the engine before an exhaust nozzle. Afterburners utilize unused oxygen from the turbine engine to obtain a second combustion. The second combustion provides additional thrust for the turbine engine. An afterburner includes trailing edge boxes that house fuel spraybars. The fuel spraybars are located in the trailing edge boxes to spray fuel where it can mix with unused oxygen.
Turbine engines and afterburners are subject to heavy vibrations, which may cause high wear on the engine and afterburner components. The hostile environment requires support for the fuel spraybars and other components. Typically, the trailing edge boxes are formed from a metal casting to provide a surface for supporting the spraybar. In order to provide the required support and structure the metal casting has thick walls which result in a heavy component. The fuel spraybars and related tubing are mounted adjacent to each trailing edge box for support. The fuel spraybars and tubing are usually attached to the trailing edge boxes with brackets for support and guidance, and to limit the motion of the fuel spraybars and tubing during operation.
A lighter arrangement to guide and support spraybars in a turbine engine is desirable.